Antenna construction



INVENTOR J. WILSON 5 H u R BY MflM/LW ATTORNEY J. W. SHUR ANTENNA CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec.

\NN 29.53 35 N Feb. 22, 1949.

Patented Feb. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF 1 CE ANTENNA CONSTRUCTION John Wilson Shur, Sea Cliff, N; Y., assignor to Shur-Antenna-Mountlna, Sea Cliff, N. Y., a corporationof- New York.

Application December 29, 1949i, Serial.No. 570,297

9-0l ims 1- This invention relates to improvements in antenna construction particularly adapted for use in connection with television and frequency modulation.v

Various types of antenna arrangements have been proposed for the sending and reception of radio, signals of the type referredto, but forthe most'part they are either too complex and expensive, they are difficult to manufacture and set up under normal circumstances, or they do not possess enough. flexibility in theiradjustment for an optimum tune-up process.

The necessity of varying the amplitude of an antenna, asappreciatedin the art, makes it high.- ly desirable to make as many factors as possible easily changeablewith. respect-to each other in order to provide an optimum tune-up.

The primary object of this invention is, therefore, to provide an improved antenna construction which is simple and. inexpensive to, make, and which embodies features of flexibility an adjustability so necessary for optimurn signal strength.

A further object of the invention is to. provide an antenna arrangement of knock. down con;- struction which can be assembled and set up with a minimum of time and experience.

Another object of theinventionistoprovide an antenna unit which is readily mounted in a variety of circumstances. and. on various types. of support.

A still further objectof the invention isv to provide a fully insulated antenna. construction. in which the antenna. elements are readily adjustable in several ways for. maximumsignal strength.

An important feature of. the. invention is a dipole antenna arrangement in which each. element is supported in a plurality of insulator members which are rigidly mounted. in such. a wayv as to avoid sagging of the. elements. A preferred form of antenna constructionof thepresent invention comprises a pair of metal elements such as tubes of predetermined.lengthmountedendto end in alignment and in spaced. relation, each element being supported in a pair of spaced. insulator members or blocks mounted. on. a supporting member or on a bracket of special construction. In one form the support is a relatively long round member on which the insulator blocks are slid to place, each insulator block having a hole to fit the support and a hole to receive the metal element or tube which is mounted paralled to; the. support the support being r t t e o h n n e n e. at a at r when the unit is-used in an antenna array.

Other objects, features and advantages of the improved antenna of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of'this application.

Fig. 1 is a plan view looking down, of one embodiment of the improved antenna of the present invention, with parts broken away.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is. a side view looking from the left, of the antenna bracket construction shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modifiediorm of the antenna construction of the presentinvention.

Fig. 5 isa sideelevational view of a form of the improved adjustable antenna of the present invention particularly adapted for quick and easy fabrication assembly, tuning, and. take down.

Fig. 6 is-a cross-sectionalview takenon the line 66 of Fig. 5, showing the construction of the insulator blocks.

The antenna construction shown in Figs. 1" to 3 comprises a wood cross piece It) usually of from four tosix feet in length which is mounted on. a mast, tower, the roof of a house, or some other suitable object above ground. At predetermined spaced pointson the cross piece ill are mounted metal. brackets H for supporting the antenna elements, one only of. the brackets being shown to simplify the illustration. The bracket l2 is preferably made of a single piece of plate metal such as aluminum, copper, stainless steel or other suitable material, pressed and cut into the crossshaped form shown in Fig. 1, comprising side projections M and end projections it. Each of the side projections or extensions It include a pair of. spaced. upright sections l8,Which may be connected andv strengthened by an integral web 29. Each of the end sections 16 include a pair of spaced upright flange members 22 parallel to the members [8 and extending-along the sides of the extensions l6. j

InFigs. 1 to.3, antenna elements 2 1 of a dipole antenna which may be metal tubes or rods, are supported above the base of the bracket I2. by means of a short insulator block 26 of Micarta or other suitable insulation, bolted to the upright members I801 each extension i l, and long insulator blocks 28 of similar material bolted to the, upright flanges 22 in the manner shown. The. substantially spaced. blocks. 2,6 and 2d are mounted. in parallel and provided with suitable holes to receive the-elements 24 and hold them apart. The wires lead to a receiver or to a transmitter, as desired. The pins 30 are adjacent the outside of the blocks 26 to permit quick assembly.

The antenna arrangement as described above is a dipole center-fed element or unit which is mounted opposite and parallel to a director or reflector element (not shown), mounted on the.

other end of the cross piece In. The director or reflector element is constructed the same as the dipole element shown, except that a single long metal tube or rod is used, in place of the two elements 24, which extends through all of the insulator blocks 26 and 28, and there are no connecting wires. It is to be understood that the combined length of the elements 24 and their size and spacing from the reflector will. at least in part, be determined by the location, and the character and wave length of the signals to be received or transmitted, as understood by those skilled in the art. While Micarta is preferred for the blocks 25 and 28, other suitable insulating material may be used.

In making the bracket I2 a flat piece of metal is preferably cut to shape, and punched with the necessary holes, in a single operation, while the .bending of the upright flanges I8, 20 and 22 may be readily performed in another operation. Holes are preferably provided, as shown, in sections l4 as well as in 16, since it may be desirable to mount the bracket otherwise than on the cross piece H1. The bracket or brackets l2 of any given antenna unit may be mounted in any necessary or desired position such as beneath a cross beam or support, since the elements 24 will be fully supportedlby the spaced blocks 26 and 28 constituting a complete rigid unit which can be supported in any position or angle.

The antenna construction shown in Fig. 4 is similar to that of Figs. 1 to 3, except that a different form of insulator arrangement is employed, the metal bracket l2 being the same except that the flanges 22 may be omitted if desired. In this form, the antenna elements 24 are mounted in oval topped blocks of insulation 36 which are fastened to the top of the extensions [4 by means of screws. Screws also fasten the remote ends to the members I 8. The blocks 36 may be of Micarta or other insulation, and each preferably extends the full length of the extensions M, or more, so long as there is ample spacing between the inner ends of the elements 24, which are fixed in adjusted position in the holes in the blocks 36 by means of pins or set screws 38 in the top of the blocks .36. The elements 24 are mounted in alignment and in tuned spaced relation to the end members l8 and 20.

Fig. illustrates a highly desirable form of antenna construction which may be made in.knock down form and quickly assembled at the point of use by anyone familiar with tuning. For purposes of illustration, a dipole antenna is shown mounted in front of a mast, post, or upright 40 which is set in a tubular mast holder 4|. The mast 40 is provided with a horizontal hole in which a cross piece 42 of from four to six feet long is secured by means of a pin or set screw 43. Near each end of the cross piece 42 a horizontal hole is provided, and a support member 44 is centered and secured therein, as for example, by means of i a pin or set'screw 46. The members 40, 42 and 44 may be of wood such as maple, preferably impregnated with a resin preservative, and preferably of circular cross section, as indicated, for members 42 and 44, to facilitate fabrication and assembly.

The dipole antenna unit 01' Fig. 5 is mounted on the near end of the cross piece 42, as shown, while a director or reflector unit (notshown) is mounted on the opposite end. The member 44 carries four similar Micarta or other insulator blocks 48 and 50 which are punched or bored to slip on, as shown in Fig. 6. Each block is fastened in place by a pin or set screw 52 which contacts or passes through a hole in the member 44, the blocks being in a straight line. The lower portions of the blocks 48 and 50 are provided with holes for receiving. antenna elements in the form of rods or tubes, such as the tubes or pipes 54 which are similar to the elements 24. The inner ends of the tubes 54 are spaced from each other in adjusted position as in Figs. 1 and 4, and each is connected to a transmission wire 56, the end of each wire being soldered to a washer 58, larger than the tube 54, which is held onto the end of the tube by a screw set in the tapped end of the tube. The washers 58, together with cotter pins 60, outside the blocks 48, keep the tubes 54 in place and provide for a quick assembly. The distance between the inner ends of the tubes 54 may be adjusted for impedence during tunin by moving the blocks 48 and 50 on the beam 44.

The mast 40 may be rotated so as to change the angle of the elements 54, and that of the reflector, with respect to the source of radio signals and held at the desired angle in the holder 4| by the set screw, as shown, or by other means. Furthermore, the elements 54 may be mounted above or in front of the supporting member 44 by rotating the member 44 in the member 42 and setting the screw 46, and thereby'change the angle of radiation of the complete antenna, or the angle of reception with respect to ground. For this purpose the axis of the members 44 and 54 may be from two to four inches apart, which provides for an adequate range for tuning since the beam 44 may berotated'up to In some cases, the tuning of an antenna requires the altering of the relative angle .of the antenna to ground and this is accomplished in the present construction when employed in a multi-element antenna by rotating the beam 44 on its axis and setting the screw 46. In an extreme case the antenna elements 54 may be directly above the beam 44, while at the opposite end of the cross member 42 the antenna element may be directly below the beam 44. The relative rotation of the beams 44 may also be used in obtaining the final spacing between the two antenna units, as betweendipole and reflector elements. One end of the cross member 42 may have a series of holes for the beam 44 to provide for proper spacing in tuning.

Where tuning conditions demand it. the polarization of the antenna, the plane of reception or transmission, can be readily changed from horizontal radiation orreception to vertical, or other necessary angle, by rotating the cross member 42 in the hole in the mast 40 and setting the screw 43. This rotation swings or rotates the entire antenna assembly ,without disturbing the other adjustments referred to above. The antenna units of Figs. 1 and 4 may be rotated in the same way.

The improved antennaconstruction of the present invention is one in which maximum flexibility for tuningis provided and at the same time is a relatively simple ,arrangement which is easy to manufacture, assemble and transport. Furthermore, the knock down form is one which can be easily taken down and moved, or in which a part or element may be readily taken off for adjustment. In all forms of the device the insulators are spaced or mounted in such a way as to give rigid support for the elements and to reduce sagging to a minimum. The brackets of Figs. 1 to 4 may be of sufiicient length for this purpose, while the relatively long beams 44 in Fig.

5 give exceptional support for the elements.

While the beams 44 and cross members It! and 42 are conveniently made of wood, they may be made of metal such as pipe. Other changes may also be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

What is claimed as new is: I

1. An antenna unit comprising in combination a relatively long supporting member, a series of insulator members attached in spaced relation along said member and rotatably mounted radially with respect to the axis thereof, a long rigid metallic antenna element mounted in said insulator members in spaced relation to said supporting member, and means for fixedly securing said insulator members to said supporting member at the desired position.

2. An antenna unit comprising a relatively long supporting beam mounted at its intermediate section on a support, said beam being rotatable on its longitudinal axis with respect to said support, means for locking said beam with respect to said support, a plurality of insulator blocks attached in spaced relation along said beam, means for holding said blocks in fixed position and in alignment on said beam, and a straight metal antenna element mounted in said blocks in substantially spaced relation to said beam and substantially parallel thereto. 1

3. An antenna unit comprising an axially rotatable upright mast, a relatively long cross support mounted on top of said mast, said support being rotatable on its longitudinal axis, means for locking said support with respect to said mast, a beam on each end of said support for carrying spaced antenna elements in substantially parallel arrangement, a plurality of spaced insulators mounted along each beam, and a long metal an tenna element attached to the insulators on each beam in spaced relation and substantially parallel to the beam.

4. An antenna unit comprising in combination a relatively long supporting beam, a support for said beam including means for mounting the beam so that it is rotatable on its axis with respect to said support, a series of insulator blocks attached in spaced relation along said beam and arranged in line, a long straight metallic antenna element attached to said insulator blocks, said blocks and element being rotatable with the beam about the axis of the beam when the beam is rotated on its axis with respect to thesupport, and means for securing the beamin fixed position with respect to the support with the antenna element in its tuned position.

5. In a dipole antenna unit, a supporting member, a relatively long supporting beam rotatably mounted on the supporting member, a plurality of insulator members attached in spaced relation along said beam on each side of its lengthwise center and rotatably mounted radially with respect to the axis of the beam, a long rigid metallic antenna element mounted in the plurality of insulator members on each side of the lengthwise center of the beam and in spaced relation with respect to the beam, said elements being spaced endwise with respect to each other, means for securing the insulator members to the beam in alignment, and means for securing the beam against rotation with the antenna elements in the desired tuned position.

6. In an antenna as defined by claim 5 in which means are provided for adjusting the end to end spacing of the antenna elements.

7. A knockdown antenna construction comprising a relatively long supporting member having a circular bore at each end extending laterally through the member, along beam of circular cross section extending through each of said bores and mounted therein for axial rotation in tuning the antenna, a plurality of relatively long spaced insulators on each beam each having a bore fitting the beam and through which the beam extends, each insulator mounted on each beam having a bore therethrough approximately parallel to and substantially spaced from the beam, a metal antenna element extending through the last mentioned bores in the insulators of each beam, and means for locking each beam with respect to the supporting member with the antenna element mounted thereon in the desired tuned position.

8. A knockdown antenna construction comprising a supporting member having a circular bore extending laterally through the member, a long beam of circular cross section extending through the bore and mounted therein for axial rotation in tuning the antenna, a plurality of relatively long spaced insulators each having a bore fitting said beam and through which said beam extends, each insulator having a bore therethrough approximately parallel to and spaced substantially from said beam, a metal antenna element extending through the last mentioned bores in the insulators, and means for locking the beam in the bore of the supporting member with the element in the desired tuned position.

9. A knockdown antenna as defined by claim 8 in which the insulators are mounted in alignment on the beam, a rigid antenna element mounted in the insulators, means for securing the insulators to the beam and means for retaining the element in position in the insulators.

J. WILSON SHUR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,911,234 Meyer May 30, 1933 2,199,050 Jenkins Apr. 30, 1940 2,207,061 Koschmieder July 9, 1940 2,240,298 Heindel et a1 Apr. 29, 1941 2,255,446 Cowdery Sept. 9, 1941 2,299,218 Fener Oct. 20, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 232,832 Great Britain Apr. 30, 1925 

